Sky’s Championship Deal Opens Up Streaming

The EFL yesterday concluded the terms of a new broadcasting deal with Sky that will run for five seasons from 2019/20.

The new deal is worth £600million and represents a year on year increase of 36% and it means Sky continue to be able to exclusively broadcast the League Cup, EFL Trophy and the Play Offs through until May 2014.

Under the new agreement, Sky will now be able to screen from 2019/20:

A maximum of 150 exclusive Sky Bet EFL League matches, which include:16 Sky Bet Championship games on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings;A minimum of 20 Sky Bet League One and League Two matches;The 15 Sky Bet EFL Play-Off matches including all three Finals;15 matches from the Carabao Cup including the Final;The Semi-Final and Final of the Checkatrade Trophy.

In addition to this, the new deal also sees a ‘first’ – Championship clubs will have to opportunity to live stream games in the UK and Ireland and any league match via their respective iFollow (or equivalent) service, including all games that take place outside of the blocked hours of 2.45pm – 5.15pm should those games not be chosen for screening.

Sky Sports obviously have the right to stream the same fixtures across their platforms.

EFL Trophy games will also be available for live streaming in the UK and Ireland via iFollow or an equivalent.

Speaking to the EFL.com chief executive Shaun Harvey said of the new deal.

‘Sky Sports has for many years been a hugely important and valued partner of the EFL and we are delighted to extend our relationship by a further five years. I would like to thank all those who submitted bids and we now look forward to working with the Sky Sports team as they cement their position as the broadcast home of live EFL matches. In agreeing a deal over five seasons, it delivers a guaranteed increase in the level of income distributed to EFL Clubs from 2019/20 and long-term financial certainty was an absolute priority throughout this process. It is a partnership that as well as having mutual tangible benefits, allows the EFL to maximise reach and exposure for its competitions, alongside providing further opportunities for Clubs to generate additional incremental revenues through iFollow.’

Harvey added about the live streaming elements of the deal.

‘The new opportunity for EFL Clubs to live-stream their matches through a direct to consumer service in the UK is a revolutionary and exciting step forward for football broadcasting rights in the UK and we will monitor its progress closely to determine how this model can be considered for future EFL rights cycles.’

The existing deal to expire at the end of the 2018/19 campaign was worth £88.3million a season, and under the new terms that rises to £120million.